Te Tai Treaty Settlement Stories

New Zealand’s unique Treaty settlement process has done much to shape our modern identity and is driving significant changes in communities around the country. Yet many New Zealanders know little about Te Tiriti o Waitangi or Treaty settlements, and some question their validity. In partnership with other government agencies and iwi, we will be telling the stories of our Treaty settlements.

Te Tai Treaty Settlement Stories is a new history project based in the Research and Publishing team at Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Our first iwi story is being prepared in partnership with Ngāti Awa and will be released in 2018.

About the project

While much academic research has been undertaken, there is no comprehensive history of the Treaty settlement process that records the perspectives of all participants. And time is running out to gather first-hand the experiences of many of the key players in early Treaty settlements. This project will fill that gap and preserve those memories for future generations.

Te Tai Treaty Settlement Stories will be a comprehensive bilingual account of the recent history of Treaty of Waitangi settlements. Its digital publications will present scholarly findings in an engaging style that will help New Zealanders reflect on these events.

Iwi and hapū are important research partners for this project and will be a rich source of compelling stories. We'll also commission research from leading historians, and our expert staff will collaborate with other ministries, research institutions, wananga and universities.

Through this project we will build on our established reputation for producing authoritative and accessible digital publications such as Te Ara, NZHistory and the 28th Māori Battalion website.